The Better Men
by OldIdentity
Summary: After the ordeal on the beach, Charles lays in a coma in a New York hospital, and Erik makes his plans for government domination. But despite the distance and betrayal, they remain more closely linked than ever, though neither of them knows it.


"I can't feel my legs... I can't feel my legs... I can't feel my..." He couldn't remember falling face first in the sand, could barely feel the grit of the sand between his teeth, was grasping wildly at the memory of Erik holding him. The mounting fear in Charles' heart reached a previously unparalleled peak, pushing him over the edge and into oblivion.

The surreal feeling that spread across the group was one of déjà vu. A memory from a not-so far off night floated to them. _'My name is Sebastian Shaw, and I am not here to hurt you.' _The betrayal that had been the cause of their passage from children to adults still burnt in the backs of their minds. Angel had gone. Darwin had died in a futile attempt to save her. Here they were again, only Raven was gone. Strong, beautiful, faithful Raven. Hank's heart ached at the loss. Alex and Sean, who had remained wearier of finding a family among these mutants, felt only guilt.

Moira was fighting a losing battle against her own anxiety and guilt, struggling to remain clam despite the insurmountable odds stacked against them. They were alone on a burning and deserted beach with no means of reliable communication, no means by which to travel, and no first aid supplies to staunch the free flow of blood pouring from her wounded friend. She looked up into Hank's golden eyes, to the faces of the worried heroes, unsure of what to do without their leader. Alex, who had learnt how to accept his gift as just that and not an abomination at the hands of the faithful professor. Sean who had discovered that his talent lay far beyond blowing fish out of the water. No one wanted to be the one to speak the dreaded, inevitable question. _How were they going to get off the island? What now?_ It was their turn to pull through for their leader, and they knew they were failing. And just as Moira steeled her nerves, tendrils of red smoke engulfed them.

Erik's last show of brotherhood, Azazel stood before them with a question in his eyes. Without a moment of hesitation, they linked hands. Their thoughts were on Charles now, any hope of revenge would have to wait. Moira reached out her hand to the demonic mutant. "New York Downtown Hospital." And then as an afterthought, "Please." And just like that, they were gone. Only a faint smell of salt and fire remained to remind Moira that mere seconds ago, they had been a thousand miles away.

Another haze of red smoke engulfed them, and Azazel was gone. Alex stepped forward, scooping the too young professor into his sturdy arms, and marched into the emergency room. A quick flash of Moira's badge was enough to keep the questions at bay, and admit the dying telepath without further ado. Then, as soon as the ordeal had commenced, it was over. They found themselves waiting along all the others in the hospital, much too concerned by their own plights to notice the strangely dressed ragtag group standing quiet in the corner. The air was thick with waiting, everyone wanting to know. Good or bad ceased to matter, for bad news was better than no news at all.

They managed to find a deserted room in a quiet corner of the hospital, and Alex left to fetch Hank. His blue fur stood on end, and his yellowed eyes narrowed. He was no longer simply the mumbling scientist and the animal inside him was beginning to break free. "What now?" It was barely a grumble, but the question was clear to all.

Moira looked into his mournful face. "Now we sit tight and hope for the best." None of them seemed satisfied. Sean audibly swallowed the lump in his throat. "What if he dies?"

Alex spoke up. "He would want us to stay safe. He would want us to go back, forget that this never happened. I don't know about you guys, but that isn't a viable option for me. That man gave us everything. I don't care what happens, we are avenging him."

"This is all my fault…" Tears had begun to slip down Moira's cheeks. How stupid could she have been? She knew that he could deflect metal. She knew that there was no way that a _bullet_ would bring Magneto down. And she had known that Charles had been right there – _right there_! She had seen him trying to get up. She had been afraid. The only CIA agent on the beach, she couldn't stand by and do nothing. It would have been her fault if those missiles had reached their destinations. She had traded her friend's life for a shot at keeping her job. _Oh, the irony_.

"No it's not." They had all spoken simultaneously, but it was Hank that continued. "It's Erik's fault. Not because he was deflecting the bullets, but for wanting to kill all those people for no damn good reason. He killed Shaw, we all saw the hole in his head, and that should have been enough."

"Yeah, I have a question about that," Alex interrupted, "why didn't Charles just force him to stop? Like with his telepathy?" Hank opened his mouth to reply, but Moira beat him to it. "I was with him the entire time when he was guiding Erik through the sub. There was a room, where Shaw was, that he couldn't reach. I remember pretty early on, Charles lost his connection to Erik. He must have entered that room with Shaw. And then Erik did something, so Charles could reach him again, but still not Shaw. I think that the helmet Erik left with was Shaw's, and it somehow blocks him out. But before Erik put the helmet on, when he could still see him, I remember Charles said 'I can't control this man for very long'. He must have been talking about Shaw. And then he started to plead with Erik not to shut him out." She took a deep breath, still not looking at the others. "Then it got worse. He started to shake and his voice… It sounded like he was pleading for his life. 'For God's sake don't do this, _please_…' And then he just screamed…"

Anger was etched onto all of their young faces. Hank cleared his throat. "From what I gather, Charles doesn't just invade minds. He feels what that person is feeling; it gives him an immense capacity for empathy. We can all agree that Magneto forced something through Shaw's skull, probably some form of metal. If Charles was holding onto Shaw's mind, he would have felt that pain. My guess is that even if Erik hadn't been wearing that helmet, Charles wouldn't have been able to do much."

Before any of them could respond, the crackle of the intercom rang above their heads. "Could the family of Charles Xavier please present themselves to the nurses' station? Thank you."


End file.
